Amazon asks customers to pick from TV pilots for show development

February 06, 2014|Reuters

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc released itssecond batch of TV pilots on Thursday and asked for customerfeedback to help determine which of the 10 shows to develop intoseries for its video streaming service.

The company is investing in original content to attractcustomers to its $79-a-year Amazon Prime service, which competesfor online viewers with services such as Netflix andHulu.com. Prime also includes free two-day shipping for Amazonproducts.

The new pilots include three comedies and two dramas foradults, plus five children's shows. Amazon will make a decisionon how many to put into development after customers have theirsay by leaving online comments and ratings.

Malcolm McDowell stars in the comedy "Mozart in the Jungle,"a story about "sex, drugs -- and classical music," an Amazonstatement said.

A science-fiction show, "The After," was written anddirected by "The X-Files" creator Chris Carter.

Amazon chose the pilots after looking at the genres that arepopular with its customers, said Roy Price, director of AmazonStudios.

"Customers have responded really well in the past tosci-fi," Price said in an interview. "We start with some areasthat customers are responding to and try to develop shows thatfit in there."

Other pilots include "Transparent," a dark comedy about adysfunctional family that stars Jeffrey Tambor and Judith Light,and "Bosch," based on best-selling novels about a Los Angeleshomicide detective.

The new pilots are available for a month in the UnitedStates on Amazon.com and through the Amazon Instant Video app,and in Britain through Amazon's Lovefilm streaming service.

Last year, Amazon released two comedy series, "Alpha House,"starring John Goodman as a senator, and "Betas," about a techstart-up, after considering customer input on 14 pilots.

Three children's series also were selected during thatprocess, which brought in thousands of customer reviews within afew days, Price said.